Seafood board bills will float a little longer

Jeremy AlfordCapitol Correspondent

Published: Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 9:09 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 9:09 p.m.

BATON ROUGE — Two competing bills that would overhaul the management and oversight of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board were deferred Wednesday and won’t resurface for another week. BATON ROUGE — Two competing bills that would overhaul the management and oversight of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board were deferred Wednesday and won’t resurface for another week.

Members of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee temporarily grounded Senate Bill 184 by Sen. Gerald Long, R-Winnfield, which would allow the wildlife and fisheries secretary to oversee the board, rather than have it operate autonomously.

But they only did so in the wake of Sen. Norby Chabert, R-Houma, deferring his own Senate Bill 167 to transfer the board from the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.

While Lt. Gov Jay Dardenne, who manages the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, is not expected to take a position on Chabert’s bill, Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham is backing Long’s legislation.

Barham further suggested to the committee that it’s Long’s bill or nothing for him.

“I’ll want them to be gone from me if I can’t provide oversight,” he said.

Committee members moved to temporarily defer Long’s bill after it became clearer that it was contradictory to Chabert’s bill.

“Those bills are direct opposites of each other,” said Sen. Bob Kostelka, R-Monroe, adding they should be heard and voted on in the same meeting.

Chabert offered to immediately bring his bill back up Wednesday afternoon, but the committee resisted, opting instead to schedule both for debate next week.

“(Long’s) bill has about an hour of opposition left,” Sen. Jody Amedee, R-Gonzales, the committee chairman, said before it was deferred.

“And you’ve got about two hours of opposition for yours,” he added with a laugh in Chabert’s direction.

The Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board has become a political hot potato, fueled largely by high-profile and expensive efforts such as buying the naming rights of the Hornet’s NBA playing facility, which never came to fruition, and an extensive marketing package with the NFL Saints, which did.

Personal struggles from within the board likewise came to light last year when Chabert passed legislation reshaping the board and its bylaws.

Former seafood board members complained about internal decisions over who was able to attend trade shows and resulting conflicts that spilled over into opinions and rulings from the state Ethics Board.

At Wednesday’s hearing, Allen Gibson of Dulac, a seafood board member representing the American Shrimp Processors Association, said he has yet to see how some of the marketing activities that were recommended to the board have resulted in more sales for the industry.

“I don’t see where we benefitted the industry in the way we were supposed to,” said Gibson, vice president of Tidelands Seafood Co. and president of Driftwoods Farms. “We did a lot of flashy things, but we did not take care of our base.”

He said that the new seafood board, as dictated under Chabert’s 2012 law, has been seated and recently underwent orientation.

Gov. Bobby Jindal is charged with making appointments to the board, and Gibson was among the few the governor reappointed after the law change.

Clint Guidry of Lafitte, president of the Louisiana Shrimp Association, said he was in support of Long’s bill because the wildlife and fisheries secretary is in a good position to provide oversight.

“This is just an additional layer, on behalf of my membership, that I think is necessary,” he said.

Barham agreed, especially since the seafood board “is in my shop,” and it needs to follow the laws governing the department.

“I don’t want to micromanage this board,” he said. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, I want them to make the decisions they need to make.”

He further cited the need to pay attention to things like contract law and state policies.

For example, Barham said he would have been able to offer direct guidance on the proposed $5 million naming rights for the Hornets facility.

“That’s about $1 million per win,” he said to laughter.

When the seafood board was managing a budget of about $300,000, he said, there were very few problems.

But “a new day dawned” when it was awarded $30 million by BP after the 2010 oil spill to help the industry recover.

“This is not about me or a money grab,” said Barham, adding the money would be spent on seafood marketing needs if Long’s bill is passed into law.

Despite the assertion, he still found humor in the situation by referring to what he called a “truism” in politics.

“Money is the answer,” he said. “Now what is the question?”

Barham said very little about Chabert’s Senate Bill 167, aside from getting the rationale behind moving the seafood board to the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.

“I understand the principle. They’re in the marketing business,” he told the committee. “But it’s really up to you.”

Chabert said he filed the legislation because the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism has extensive experience in buying national media time to promote state tourism opportunities, knows how to build brands and understands what it means to work in the aftershock of a crisis, such as a hurricane or oil spill.

<p>BATON ROUGE — Two competing bills that would overhaul the management and oversight of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board were deferred Wednesday and won't resurface for another week. BATON ROUGE — Two competing bills that would overhaul the management and oversight of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board were deferred Wednesday and won't resurface for another week. </p><p>Members of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee temporarily grounded Senate Bill 184 by Sen. Gerald Long, R-Winnfield, which would allow the wildlife and fisheries secretary to oversee the board, rather than have it operate autonomously. </p><p>But they only did so in the wake of Sen. Norby Chabert, R-Houma, deferring his own Senate Bill 167 to transfer the board from the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. </p><p>While Lt. Gov Jay Dardenne, who manages the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, is not expected to take a position on Chabert's bill, Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham is backing Long's legislation.</p><p>Barham further suggested to the committee that it's Long's bill or nothing for him. </p><p>“I'll want them to be gone from me if I can't provide oversight,” he said. </p><p>Committee members moved to temporarily defer Long's bill after it became clearer that it was contradictory to Chabert's bill. </p><p>“Those bills are direct opposites of each other,” said Sen. Bob Kostelka, R-Monroe, adding they should be heard and voted on in the same meeting. </p><p>Chabert offered to immediately bring his bill back up Wednesday afternoon, but the committee resisted, opting instead to schedule both for debate next week. </p><p>“(Long's) bill has about an hour of opposition left,” Sen. Jody Amedee, R-Gonzales, the committee chairman, said before it was deferred. </p><p>“And you've got about two hours of opposition for yours,” he added with a laugh in Chabert's direction. </p><p>The Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board has become a political hot potato, fueled largely by high-profile and expensive efforts such as buying the naming rights of the Hornet's NBA playing facility, which never came to fruition, and an extensive marketing package with the NFL Saints, which did. </p><p>Personal struggles from within the board likewise came to light last year when Chabert passed legislation reshaping the board and its bylaws. </p><p>Former seafood board members complained about internal decisions over who was able to attend trade shows and resulting conflicts that spilled over into opinions and rulings from the state Ethics Board. </p><p>At Wednesday's hearing, Allen Gibson of Dulac, a seafood board member representing the American Shrimp Processors Association, said he has yet to see how some of the marketing activities that were recommended to the board have resulted in more sales for the industry.</p><p>“I don't see where we benefitted the industry in the way we were supposed to,” said Gibson, vice president of Tidelands Seafood Co. and president of Driftwoods Farms. “We did a lot of flashy things, but we did not take care of our base.” </p><p>He said that the new seafood board, as dictated under Chabert's 2012 law, has been seated and recently underwent orientation. </p><p>Gov. Bobby Jindal is charged with making appointments to the board, and Gibson was among the few the governor reappointed after the law change. </p><p>Clint Guidry of Lafitte, president of the Louisiana Shrimp Association, said he was in support of Long's bill because the wildlife and fisheries secretary is in a good position to provide oversight. </p><p>“This is just an additional layer, on behalf of my membership, that I think is necessary,” he said.</p><p>Barham agreed, especially since the seafood board “is in my shop,” and it needs to follow the laws governing the department. </p><p>“I don't want to micromanage this board,” he said. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, I want them to make the decisions they need to make.”</p><p>He further cited the need to pay attention to things like contract law and state policies. </p><p>For example, Barham said he would have been able to offer direct guidance on the proposed $5 million naming rights for the Hornets facility. </p><p>“That's about $1 million per win,” he said to laughter. </p><p>When the seafood board was managing a budget of about $300,000, he said, there were very few problems.</p><p>But “a new day dawned” when it was awarded $30 million by BP after the 2010 oil spill to help the industry recover. </p><p>“This is not about me or a money grab,” said Barham, adding the money would be spent on seafood marketing needs if Long's bill is passed into law.</p><p>Despite the assertion, he still found humor in the situation by referring to what he called a “truism” in politics.</p><p>“Money is the answer,” he said. “Now what is the question?” </p><p>Barham said very little about Chabert's Senate Bill 167, aside from getting the rationale behind moving the seafood board to the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.</p><p>“I understand the principle. They're in the marketing business,” he told the committee. “But it's really up to you.”</p><p>Chabert said he filed the legislation because the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism has extensive experience in buying national media time to promote state tourism opportunities, knows how to build brands and understands what it means to work in the aftershock of a crisis, such as a hurricane or oil spill. </p><p>Jeremy Alford can be reached at jeremy@jeremyalford.com.</p>